Abstract
Our society is experiencing sudden changes in work organization in part due to the growing ease with which people can collaborate. Many successful cases of peer-to-peer models of organization arise and assume leading positions in world economy replacing, in many cases, the traditional hierarchical organization. People are evolving and interacting within heterogeneous teams composed by members from many different cultural groups and with distinct skills and backgrounds. Modern economy requires engineers to excel in collaborative and communication skills at an international setting. However, these competences are not usually addressed in most engineering curricula. We believe that in such a demanding and culturally diverse environment as the labour market is today, it is essential to promote team work and communication skills at an international and intercultural level. In the Multinational Undergraduate Team Work course, MUTW, students develop their capstone project as members of an international team while working at their home institutions. MUTW projects are to be developed by teams of final-year-undergraduate students from a multinational group of higher education institutions working to solve some engineering problem. Team members are geographically spread to assure heterogeneous teams and to promote international cooperation. This paradigm can be applied in any project/internship course unit. The results from the first edition are very encouraging supporting our initial hypothesis that MUTW significantly promotes students soft skills without requiring any change to prior degree curricula. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
Femtosecond laser fabrication of optical waveguides in bulk silica glass is extended to integrated optical waveplates. Polarization retardation was controlled by laser exposure, providing for trimming of waveguide birefringence between 10(-5) and 10(-4).

Abstract
An increased interest in vertical axis wind turbines has been stimulated by the rapid growth of wind power generation and by the need for a smarter electrical grid with a decentralized energy generation, especially in the urban areas. The lift type vertical axis wind turbines (Darrieus wind turbine) performance prediction is a very complex task, since its blades move around the rotor axis in a three dimensional aerodynamic environment that lead to several flow phenomena, such as, dynamic stall, flow separation, flow wake deformations and their natural inability to self-start. These issues can be overcome with the use of several more or less complex solutions, being one of them the development of a blade profile capable of making the wind turbines self-start. This paper focuses on presenting a new methodology for fast development of new blade profiles, for self-start capable Darrieus wind turbines, which is a complex and time-consuming task.

Abstract
In a globalized world members of groups may be anywhere, and the need for ubiquitous Idea Generation emerged. This led to two main needs: the creation of Smart Decision Rooms prepared for this new reality and following the Ambient Intelligence paradigm; and the creation of context aware middleware. This paper describes OLAVAmI a context aware middle-ware system which was tested in LAID environment, a Smart Meeting Room. OLAVAmI allows video production focusing on the speaker, an audio-to-text conversion service, and the multimedia database of meetings produced in an autonomous way. To experiment OLAVAmI usage and functionalities one of the tools present in LAID test bed was used and the results are presented in this article. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract

Abstract
Advances in sensor technology, electronic textile integration, and integrated circuits have introduced a paradigm shift in the way most researchers approach signal monitoring. In recent years, devices such as body sensor networks (BSN) allow for direct on-body physiological and biomechanical parameters measurements. Such technology allows for a more in depth analysis of an athlete's performance, without affecting the results due to awkward wires or uncomfortable carry-on devices. Miniaturization and other achievements allow a more seamless interaction with the individual, permitting a more natural behaviour during the monitoring session. The project BIOSWIM (Body Interface System based on Wearable Integration Monitorization) is a joint multidisciplinary effort of a number of Portuguese universities which seeks a pervasive monitoring solution for performance, physiological and biomechanical signals from a swimmer under normal training conditions. In order to achieve such an undertaking a swimsuit prototype was developed with truly integrated EKG textile sensors; which will work in conjunction with a wearable inertial monitoring unit (WIMU) and a wearable chemical monitoring unit. This article focuses on the WIMU, which serves as the biomechanical data processing unit of the system.